Teaching Indigenous Education

Welcome!
This guide is here to help you find scholarly articles, journals, and research by and about Indigenous Peoples. It provides search tips, recommended databases, and a list of Indigenous focused journals available through the University of Alberta.

Why a Guide for Indigenous Scholarship?

This guide helps you navigate barriers and discover authentic Indigenous voices in scholarly publishing.

Getting Started

• Check the "Indigenous Academic Journals" tab for Indigenous specific resources.

• Explore recommended keywords, subject headings, and tips under "Search Strategies."

• Contact the library help chat, we’re happy to support you further!

Language matters. Search using multiple terms such as "Indigenous," "First Nations," "Métis," "Inuit," or "Native American" to capture different perspectives and materials. When possible, also search using nation-specific names (e.g., Haudenosaunee, Cree, Anishinaabe).

Where to search:​

• The main search on the library homepage is a powerful multidisciplinary discovery tool that allows you to search across a significant portion of the University of Alberta Library's extensive collections; including books, articles, journals, media, and more.
• Find Databases on the library homepage (under the main search bar) will allow you to search for databases by title or subject area.
• Google Scholar will search library and open access collections worldwide. Access it through the library homepage to view full text articles.
• Journals: A list of Indigenous academic journals is included on this page. Browsing journals is a great way to get a sense of current trends and issues. If you are searching for articles on a specific topic it is probably more efficient to search in a database.
• Databases : See this page for a list of databases and research portals with Indigenous content.

How to search:

Think of your search terms!

• If you want just a few good results, use one or two terms
• If you want to make your search wider, use more related terms.

Try, for example: "first nation*'" or aboriginal* or native* or Indigenous

Remember, the names or spelling of Indigenous nations or communities may vary, and names may change over time. The names communities use for themselves may be different from how they are referred to in English.

In many databases: 

• "quotation marks" keep your search terms together (e.g. "first nations" will search for instances where those two words appear next to each other). 
• *asterisks can help you search for words that have the same root (e.g. indigen* searches indigenous, indigenize, indigeneity etc. BUT will also search indigent).